It's All About the Chase
by Black Queen 13
Summary: A twist in the roles and intentions of the well loved characters, with Alice as Edward's other half and Bella as the obstacle instead. Will she be able to get what she wants this time?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1.

I saw her for the first time when I was sat in the cafeteria in school on the first day of term. How could I not have? She was the new girl but everyone knew who she was. Bella Swan. The chief's daughter and infamous homecoming queen to Folks. Of course the entire student body was looking forward to meeting the new face of High Gloss magazine; becoming part of the new "in" crowd that was sure to rear its ugly head. I'll agree with the majority that she was gorgeous, what with her short denim skirt, almost see-through tank top and dark Gucci sunglasses but for me it was far to in your face to appear that attractive. She had long wavy brunette hair that trailed all the way down her back to her virtually 3 inch waist like a curtain. Her face was the perfect heart shape, with the button nose that girls these days spend thousands to obtain. Her legs gave away that it was no wonder she was a model, even though her purple stilettos must have added a good 5 inches. Unfortunately just because I wasn't interested, it didn't shield me from _her_ thoughts about the people from Folks academy.

"Would you just _look_at that hair? Has she never heard of straighteners? Or perhaps a shaver?"

"Why did I get stuck here…? The last think I need right now is to be stuck with a load of losers. I mean I'm a _model_for god's sake!"

"Ooh he's not so bad. Might have to check that out later."

But the worse was what everyone else thought about her. I don't think I've ever seen a new student join the school and completely split the pupils in half. On the one side, the boys finding it hard to keep their jaws from trailing on the ground, on the other hand the girls getting ready to start a war, because of the guys not being able to keep their jaws off the ground. And all of it expressed with the most colourful of language. I have to say though, from my end, it was really all quite amusing.

"Fit ain't she?" Emmet drew my attention away from the entertainment with a simple sentence. He leaned in closer over my shoulder to watch her with me. "I ain't seen anything like that since I got with Rosalle. And even she's a close call. But you have her. I'll be nice to ya this time." He punched my arm in the kind of way base ball players do on the field and leaned back again to talk to Jasper about something apparently very funny. I'd have to tell him later that actually, I was prying into what could have been a very entertaining moment, and I actually didn't find her very attractive at all.

"Ed? You coming? You promised we could be on our own for a bit today…" Alice slipped her arm through mine and whispered into my ear with a slight purr that made her sound like a disgruntled tiger, gorgeous but very, very dangerous. Just how I like it. She'd always had this power over me from the day we met. Not that it mattered. I would have fallen for her anyway. She might not have been as outright gorgeous as Bella, but she had a certain sexy school girl quality that I much proffered. That and she was the only person I had found to date who I couldn't read their mind. And that made her all the better. When I'm with her I feel normal, human. Not that she'd ever know that of course. To her I'm just a normal teenage boy she's managed to find to love her, nothing more nothing less. And that suites me just fine.

"Yeah I'm just coming babe. Just give me a sec, k?"

"Alright then… but don't be long." With the last sentence she trailed the tip of her finger down my spine to the arch of my back while leaning in as if to kiss me, then sliding out of the chair next to me and walking out the door, strutting without thinking about it in her knee high platform boots. God was she striking.

But I had to do something first. I simply suddenly had a craving for an apple and knew that if Alice just thought it was food she would never have let me get one so I made it seem a little more important than was probably necessary but hey. Just a little exaggeration never hurt anyone. But then movies tend to exaggerate about us vamps and our powers. Who ever said we don't need to eat is talking complete bullshit! A man needs his food! And all that stuff about sunlight is untrue as well - I like to get a tan when ever possible thanks. But the stakes and crosses and stuff I can't really say, tend to stay away from stuff that might be potentially life threatening ... and lets be honest, a stake through the heart would kill MOST people, not just vamps! So lets not discriminate.

But as I was walking towards the lunch line to pick up said apple, I felt her. She was stood behind me in her purple shoes and Gucci glasses. I didn't need to turn to see her because I could hear her in my head. Every thought she was making was being bypassed to mine and I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear it.

"Hey. I'm Bella." Yeah I could have guessed that the voice that came out of her mouth would have matched the confident and mysterious persona she radiated. Soft and seductive yet firm and almost frightening. Much like Alice I noticed, but then mentally kicked myself for even thinking of comparing my gorgeous girlfriend to this common tart.

"Yeah I know. I think everyone knows who _you_are." I hadn't meant to be mean but from the thoughts that were spiralling from her head to mine I couldn't think of any other way I could get her to leave.

"Yeah I guess I have kinda made an impact, don't you think?" the last sentence was a challenge; I didn't need to be able to hear her thought to know that. Either I answered it in the way that she wanted me to, with flattery, or I completely rejected her and made myself what she thought to be a very powerful enemy.

"If you call what your doing 'making an impact' then sure what ever." The look on her face was priceless. Her jaw dropped so low that I suddenly had the erg to yawn rape her. I turned and walked down the counter to the fruit and veg plates, found myself a sort of decent apple and headed for the register. I knew without looking that Veria would follow. She's not the kind of girl to give up on something without a fight; I think anyone could tell that.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" she asked indignantly. "It's not like _asked_for all this attention. Is it my fault they _happen_ to read a magazine I just _happen_to be in? No. So cut the shit attitude and grow up." The sound of her tipped stilettos let me know she was leaving.

I paid for my apple, left through the doors and just let myself go.

I don't think I've ever laughed so much in my whole life.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

In one of the many dark and secluded corners of her father's wooden cabin, Bella Swan sat in the dark on a rocking chair she had had since she was a little girl, one of the few things she had left that reminded her of her childhood. One of the few things she had not chosen to destroy. She sat with her knees pull up to her chin, clutching an ancient mobile phone to her ear as she desperately tried to hear the rough voice of the gentleman – if he could be called that - on the other end of the line, staring into what seemed like space as she caught the ends of sentences through the bad connection.

He was not a polite man to say the least but he spoke with an authority that Bella found endearing and she listened intently as he gave her instructions.

"Do you understand what I'm telling you to do?"

"Yes…" even with the bad connection, the booming voice from the other end of the phone shadowed hugely over the meek sound that came from Bella's lips.

"Yes what!"

"Yes, sir…"

"How many times do I have to keep reminding you, you fucking idiotic child? Believe me, next time I will not be so damn lenient." And with that the phone went dead. This was how many of their conversations went; him being loud and obnoxious while she sat and told him what he wanted to hear even if she wasn't sure what he was talking about. Unfortunately, this was not one of those times – and she was more than aware of what he wanted. She might not have heard the entire conversation but what she had heard, well that had been perfectly clear. Of course, she had told him, it's going to be harder than they thought seeing as the boy in question wouldn't even go near her. And when he did all he did was insult her. He hadn't been happy with that, she could have guessed that before he had even called her but at least most of that conversation had been drowned out by static.

Bella stood up off of the rocking chair and moved towards the mirror above the 80's fireplace, a mosaic of purples and pinks – her father could never be bothered to get it remodelled. It was only as she looked at her reflection that she realised she had been crying. 'No wonder he was pissed', she thought, 'he hates it when I cry'. Bella picked up her well-manicured hand and wiped it across her face to brush away the tears, bringing with it mountains of makeup and false lashes. This was not who she was but it was all she knew. All she had been trained for. Those nights of suffering, days spent sparring with men and women much larger than herself; those days spent crouched in bushes trying to control her breathing and her heart-beat so that he couldn't sense her like the others could. All those skills that she had perfected to the point they were easier than breathing had all lead to this moment, and whether she liked it or not, there was no backing out now.

Staring at the stranger in front of her, Bella straightened her tank top, wiped her eyes one final time and pulled back her shoulders. The steal glint was back in her eyes and the pout back in her lips. No one was getting past this facade, not even herself. One last glance and she turned her back on the mirror, spun on her heel and strode to the small bathroom to fix her ruined makeup and compose herself for the battle ahead of her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"There you are! I was starting to worry about you." Alice was leaning against the outside wall of the cafeteria just across from my car when I came out of the doors. God she's gorgeous, I thought. Just the way her flowing silk blue skirt rides up her slender leg ask she walks towards me was driving me crazy. The fact one of her black bra straps had slid down her arm and was showing from under the sleeve of her black woollen top was about to push me over the top when she finally reached me and I was forced to shift my gaze to her face.

"I um… I had to get… something. Apple! An apple, that's what I had to get." She laughed under her breath as I tried to remember exactly what I'd be trying to do. She took great pleasure in the effect she had on me and never once did she do anything that might help me to concentrate.

"Well I was starting to think you'd stood me up." By now her face was about 2 inches from mine and her body was slowly pressing me back against the wall of the building. Her hands had roped their way around my neck and were acting as a lasso that bound us together. When I made no attempt to move away, she moved her lips to my ear and started whispering.

"You know we could really get into trouble for being this close on school grounds… you wouldn't want me to get into trouble now would you?" she started to gently bite my earlobes when I finally couldn't take it anymore and a shudder of pleasure rushed down my spine. I was about to grab her right there outside school when she pulled away from me, winked and walked away to my car, leaving me breathing heavily against the wall. Another of her gifts was to know exactly when I was at breaking point. What she didn't know is that what was working in her favour the most were the images that ran through her mind. Trying to keep myself under control when I could see exactly what she wanted from me was too hard for me to do.

"You're a bitch you know that?" I said smiling as I tried to catch my breath.

"I know. And you love me for it." Alice said as she slid into the passenger seat. "Now you coming or not?"

"Where are we anyway?" She asked exasperatedly for about the fifth time during the journey. We'd been driving for about an hour when we finally pulled into the parking lot. Well it wasn't really a parking lot, more of a square of clay coloured dirt on the side of a back road.

"I used to come here as a child and I thought you might like to see it." I got out of the car, waiting for Alice to join me, knowing perfectly well she was too curious to not join me. And sure enough, she got out of the car and took my hand, sending a signal for me to lead the way.

I knew it was going to take us about 15 mins to get there so as we walked I thought I'd tell her about why I came here in the first place.

"When I was a child, my parents and I were very into nature and going for long walks in the countryside. We'd go everywhere we could. It never bothered us if it was raining or snowing or sun shine. We'd go no matter what the weather. I used to enjoy how the landscape changed with the seasons, how the colours would change without being told how to do so. Green to yellow to red to brown. It used to amaze me…" it took me a few moments to realise I had stopped talking and that Alice was still looking at me expectedly.

"What happened? I've never known you to go on hikes before. In fact you've never mentioned your parents before." Her voice was soft and soothing and I squeezed the hand that was clasping mine as a way of trying to say thank you for her just being with me.

"That's because a few years ago, before I joined Forks High, they both died hiking in the Grand Canyon. I was with my grandmother at the time otherwise I would have been with them. They didn't want to take the normal route down so they tried to pick their own way down the cliff face. My father slipped and fell and because they were tied together, my mother wasn't far behind him. They were found a few days later." This time when I went quiet, it was because I didn't want to talk about it anymore, and some how she knew that and didn't ask anymore.

"I never knew … Ed I'm so sorry. But hey, look at it this way. What happened then meant that you found your way here. You found your way to Esme, your family now… and to me." The hesitation in her voice let me know how tentative she was about bringing herself into it. The slight flush in her cheeks and the tears that were beginning to accumulate in her eyes said everything about how much my story had touched her. And for that I loved her even more. With her naturally red hair, deep green eyes, slight collection of freckles in a bridge over her button nose and the fullness of her pink lips, she was everything I could want.

I turned to her and brought my hand to her beating heart. Her eyes flitted to mine, big and black rimmed like a deer caught in headlights. "That's what gets me through the day Alice. Knowing that even though then it felt like the end of the world, it brought me to you."

Her face flushed again and she shifted her eyes from my face, showing the shy side of her that very few even knew existed.

"So how did you find… where ever it is we're going?" She cleared her throat and kept walking, leading me with the hard clamp she still had on my hand. I smiled to myself, not just because of how cute she was when she was shy but also because I knew for a fact she had no idea which was she was going.

"Well, after the funeral, I wasn't in the best of minds and I ran away from my grandmother's. She'd agreed to take me in but we never really connected so I decided to leave. I had some money my parents had left me and I got the first plane I could to anywhere in the world. The cheapest plane available was a one way to Forks. So I took it.

When I got off the plane I still didn't have anywhere to go so I started walking. I walked long into the night, long after it had gone dark until I simply couldn't walk anymore where I collapsed into sleep. I don't remember if I dreamed or not but it was not a comfortable sleep.

When I awoke, it was cold. Very cold. Not at all like it is today. Mist hung around me and trailed its way around the trees like a gigantic snake. I couldn't move very well so I lay there and waited for the sun to come up so I could try and see where I was. It didn't take long actually. I was surprised just how quickly it did brighten up but I didn't think much of it at the time. The sun breams rid the forest of the mist and with it brought warmth that breathed into my body, giving me the ability to move again.

I stood up and looked around me. And do you know what I saw?"

"What?" Alice's face was full of curiosity and longing as we trailed to a stop and I pulled her closer to me. She was so adorable when she was impatient and I wanted nothing more than to never let her go. But I knew I had to show her.

"What did you see Edward?" she almost whispered.

I reached out to the vines that hung tightly in front of us, just like I knew they would be before we even set out. Pulling them back with the clasp of my hand while still keeping a close grip on Alice, I leaned in and whispered to her,

"I saw this."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Hey. It's me…. Yeah I got the info…. No I don't need you right now; I know you've got your hands full right now. No seriously babe, it's cool but I'll let you know when he wants to see us. You know how he hates to be kept waiting. Alright. Yeah I'll talk to you then. Bye."  
Bella put the phone down and turned to have a final check in the mirror. She flicked her hair back over her shoulder, preparing to leave the house when something caught her eye. Just below her left ear, on the nap of her neck sat a small tattoo, a marking, a brand she'd had placed on her before she could remember. The spiral was tight and simple but how it was outlined wasn't like any tattoo she'd ever seen before. All of the edges were what looked like dots but if you looked closely you could see they were words. How someone had ever found a tattoo parlour that could do details that small she never knew but of course, it didn't matter. Strangely enough, how it had come to be hers wasn't actually very pleasant but it had indeed become a part of her now. One of the very few things she owned and that no one could rip away from her.

The phrase itself was in a foreign language, not something she'd ever come across since and it had taken her years to find someone to translate it for her. Finally one of her Master's "friends" had agreed to translate it for her – for a price of course. While the price hadn't been particularly enjoyable either (some would say it was a fitting price) she was willing to pay it to gain the knowledge she so desperately sought after. He told her it had meant "The ripples of our actions move beyond our control" something she classed as beautiful, and her mantra from that point onwards. Of course she had no way of knowing if he was telling the truth about the tattoo's meaning but if her Master trusted him then hey, that was good enough for her.

Bella looking back into the mirror again after what must have been an eternity, made a light movement with her hand that moved her hair back to its perfect alignment, applied just the right amount of lipstick, eye shadow, blusher and eyeliner, and made her way out of the front door to her car.

As she drove to the god-forsaken hellhole they call school, she pondered over the phone call she had received that morning. Not only was it odd that he had phoned at all but that he had been so compliant with her. She would have thought a mole would be a little more on edge about calling their boss while on the job – she knew she would be. But then, he'd always been a cocky ass with little regard for his own safety. And for that reason, he was perfect. So long as he didn't blow his cover he had free rein and could go about his assignment as he pleased with minimal consequences if he encountered an "accident" along the way.

Bella smiled to herself as she thought about him, and about just how clueless he was to the extent of his expendability…

"Sorry darling but I don't do autographs at school. Otherwise I'd be giving them out all day now wouldn't I, silly little boy. Now run along and don't bother me again." Bella dismissed the first year with a wave of her hand and the boy slinked away, blushing brilliantly at the cheeks and slipping back into the crowd that had surrounded her. "Idiotic people…" she thought to herself, can't they see that I'm busy! Not only that but I was virtually being suffocated with all the glares and stares they were throwing my way. I mean a girl wants attention but there is only so much she can take. Plus I had some business to finish off with a certain young man." But the thing was, after this morning he didn't seem to be anywhere in school and it was really starting to get on her nerves. Where the hell is he? He shouldn't just go wondering off, not if he knew what she was and surely he must have sensed it when they met in the cafeteria.

"Oh. My. God." Her face fell as the realisation of her situation hit her. "He doesn't know… He's so wrapped up in this perfect little life he's created that his true identity no longer registers a threat." At this thought a grin spread across her face, a smile that must have appears slightly maniacal to anyone looking at her right now. She quickly composed herself and strode to the nearest bathroom, quickly throwing out the meek group of girls gossiping around the sink and fleetingly coming to the conclusion she spends far to much time in locked lavatories.

Leaning on the counter top and looking into the mirror for the second time that morning, Bella finally allowed herself to laugh, the noise swelling through her body and causing her to shake uncontrollably as a plan began to formulate in her mind. If he was unaware of her presence here as anything other than a student, she would have to make him look up and pay attention.

And she knew exactly where she was going to go to do it.

Hey guys , please leave a comment to say what you think of the story – I've been meaning to leave this message for a while now and I greatly appreciate all of you who've added this to your favourites/alert lists and I would literally LOVE to hear from you!

Personal message me, comment on here, I don't mind either way

Much love guys!

xxx


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Oh my god…" Alice stood staring at the beauty that was in front of her. Never before had she seen something like this, she hadn't even thought that something like that could have existed, especially somewhere so close to her own life. It made everything in her life seem worth living, that something so breathtaking could survive in a world that contained so much hate and violence.

It was the picturesque view of a lake, filled with white crystal water that lapped over onto the edge of the emerald grass, leaving behind it tiny gems and pearls attached to the blades of green that shot hopefully towards the sky; as though they could not bear to leave it till the next day. The ground was covered in a blanket for pink and yellow, blue, and red, all colours of the rainbow gathered together in one place to create the most beautiful of all tapestries across the floor of the wood, each individual peak bigger and brighter than the last. The trees that surrounded it seemed somehow brighter and more lushes than the ones they had just walked through, enveloping the scene in some woven curtain, shielding it from the rest of the world and giving it the feel of a haven.

In the centre of the lake stood a lone tree on a mound of collected sand, just large enough for a small house to sit upon if someone were that way inclined. Each individual branch moved with the wind that sung through the valley casting shadows over the water and making the waves dance under the surface. How it could survive on a mound that seemed so desolate should have been impossible but somehow a lone seed had decided it would defy the laws of reality, bringing with it the flowers and blossoms that grew in hundreds on the curling tendrils stirring above the bowl.

And finally the smell that the flowers and greenery set off was more intoxicating and blissful than anything Alice had ever smelt before. A mixture of vanilla and the sweetest wine filled the crisp air that surrounded them, winding around them in a soft and gentle hug, never letting them go but forever pulling them in.

It was heaven on earth. It had to be.

"How could you find such a place and never show anyone? How could you not scream it to the world or talk to the tabloids or boast about it at school or… or… or put pictures up on Facebook? I don't understand how you could keep this from everyone!" Alice was lost for words since the first time she's met Edward. Her mind was racing with how this place could be, but how she never wanted to change it.

"Don't you see? I could never show this place, not to anyone. Not until I was sure that I could trust them. This is my place. I found it and although I'm sure I am not the first, I have yet to see anyone ever come here besides me. Everyone has to have his or her own space Alice. Somewhere they can retreat to when things in their life get to hard to bare, when they become too much to handle and they need time to think. Some people choose this to be their bedroom or their library. For me it is here." During his speech, Edward had lifted his face to the sky and the light that leaked through the trees changed his features. Alice had never noticed before that although at school his eyes were a deep brown – and on the darkest days they were black – here she could see they were golden, like the stones that shone through from the shore. And his hair was blonde with brown streaks which she could have sworn where not there before. But most of the change was on the features of his face. The lines that surrounded his eyes and his lips were gone, his cheeks had colour and his mouth was a shade lighter than they were before. He looked younger, happier, at peace with his surroundings more so than he ever could have at school or anywhere else. It didn't take a genius to work out that this was his home. And from it he was more beautiful than ever.

Alice sighed at the contentedness she felt just from being near him. Her sound made him bring his eyes back to hers, and their colour did not change.

"What is it?" he virtually whispered, pulling her closer to him and enveloping her with his free hand.

Alice rested her head on his chest and thought for a moment for a way to put her feelings into words.

"I don't really know. It's just, seeing you here, it's like meeting you all over again but better. I've never seen you so happy and I guess I'm just glad that you can show me your world and still be as happy with me here." Her voice trailed off on the last few words as she waited for his reaction. His hands immediately moved to her shoulders and pulled her back just enough so he could look into her face.

"Alice, I have not shown you this to try to make you believe that you are a part of my world. I could have let you meet my parents and that would have the same meaning. I brought you here to show you how the world seems when I am with you. This is how I see everything when you're at my side. Everything is beautiful and bright and fresh.

This is not my world Alice. You are my world."

A tear fell from her eye as Edward watched for her face to change. But instead of talking with words, Alice took his face in her hands and pulled it down to meet her awaiting lips and kissed him with more passion and love than she thought were even possible. And although he was caught by surprise, it didn't take long for Edward to wind his arms around her waist and lift her off the ground, supporting her weight with nothing more than the strength in his biceps. She then slowly rapped her legs around his hips, trapping him to her so that even if he had wanted to break away he would not have been able to. Edward leaned back against the tree he had been standing by and just held her.

They did not know how long they were entwined there.

And to be honest, they did not care.


End file.
